Canal St. delivers holiday cheer starting Friday in NSB

Published: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 4:03 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 4:03 p.m.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH — In the midst of an economic slump when vacant storefronts were piling up, Canal Street wasn't full of much holiday cheer several years ago.

There was no visit from Santa Claus and very little in the way of Christmas decorations.

"It was a very dark and gloomy street," said Cindy Jones, president of the Canal Street Historic District.

Jones and other business leaders started planning a series of holiday-themed events about five years ago to boost spirits and draw more people to the downtown. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency funded lighting, palm trees and oak trees for the area.

"With the deep recession going on we coined the tree lighting ceremony 'Spark the Spirit,' for obvious reasons," Jones said.

The event now kicks off the holiday season and serves as an attraction for the business district. The fourth annual Spark the Spirit event will be held 4:30-7:30 p.m. Friday in the park on the corner of Canal and Live Oak streets. Music will be provided by the Bobby Mercer Band.

In addition to the tree lighting, carriage rides will be offered, Santa Claus will be on hand and stores will participate in a holiday decorating contest.

The public can cast votes for which business they think has the best holiday decorations. About 30 businesses will compete for the "People's Choice" award, which carries a $250 prize. Additional judges will select the contest's grand prize and second-place winners.

Meanwhile, the city's annual Christmas parade will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 1. The procession will begin at the Flagler Avenue Boardwalk parking lot, proceed up the North Causeway, before turning left on Riverside Drive and then right on to Canal Street — ending at Orange Street.

The theme for this year's parade is a "tropical Christmas."

There will be about 75 entries in the parade, which include marching bands, floats, trucks and troupes of horses, the city's Parks and Recreation Department said Wednesday.

In preparation for the procession, the North Causeway will close at 3:30 p.m. between Riverside Drive and Flagler Avenue.

The event will be followed by an annual boat parade at dusk in Riverside Park at the end of Canal Street. Vessels lit for the night will travel the waterway from Marker 53 in Edgewater to the North Causeway bridge.

<p>NEW SMYRNA BEACH &mdash; In the midst of an economic slump when vacant storefronts were piling up, Canal Street wasn't full of much holiday cheer several years ago. </p><p>There was no visit from Santa Claus and very little in the way of Christmas decorations. </p><p>"It was a very dark and gloomy street," said Cindy Jones, president of the Canal Street Historic District. </p><p>Jones and other business leaders started planning a series of holiday-themed events about five years ago to boost spirits and draw more people to the downtown. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency funded lighting, palm trees and oak trees for the area. </p><p>"With the deep recession going on we coined the tree lighting ceremony 'Spark the Spirit,' for obvious reasons," Jones said. </p><p>The event now kicks off the holiday season and serves as an attraction for the business district. The fourth annual Spark the Spirit event will be held 4:30-7:30 p.m. Friday in the park on the corner of Canal and Live Oak streets. Music will be provided by the Bobby Mercer Band. </p><p>In addition to the tree lighting, carriage rides will be offered, Santa Claus will be on hand and stores will participate in a holiday decorating contest. </p><p>The public can cast votes for which business they think has the best holiday decorations. About 30 businesses will compete for the "People's Choice" award, which carries a $250 prize. Additional judges will select the contest's grand prize and second-place winners. </p><p>Meanwhile, the city's annual Christmas parade will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 1. The procession will begin at the Flagler Avenue Boardwalk parking lot, proceed up the North Causeway, before turning left on Riverside Drive and then right on to Canal Street &mdash; ending at Orange Street. </p><p>The theme for this year's parade is a "tropical Christmas." </p><p>There will be about 75 entries in the parade, which include marching bands, floats, trucks and troupes of horses, the city's Parks and Recreation Department said Wednesday. </p><p>In preparation for the procession, the North Causeway will close at 3:30 p.m. between Riverside Drive and Flagler Avenue. </p><p>The event will be followed by an annual boat parade at dusk in Riverside Park at the end of Canal Street. Vessels lit for the night will travel the waterway from Marker 53 in Edgewater to the North Causeway bridge.</p>